Cloth diapering?

What are you favorites? My LO is 5 months today, hoping to be all cloth in a month or so!

First of all, LOVE the new photos. She's a doll!

I've considered switching to cloth. It would save us so much money, not to mention the amount of diapers we contribute to the garbage! I'm interested to hear what the responses are.

Are you partially doing cloth? My only hold up is my grandmother (who watches my son) may have a hard time with cloth diapering because of her arthritic hands and less-than-perfect vision. Sometimes John's diapers leak because she didn't get his butt centered on the diaper!

Okay, I'm done hijacking your thread now! When I was most recently pregnant, I looked into the G Diapers. The hybrids, if you will. I liked the fact that the liners were flushable (or able to go in the compost, which we don't do). and the prints on the covers were super cute. I'm such a noob when it comes to cloth diapering that I was super confused by all the "traditional" methods and didn't really look into them. I still get overwhelmed when I try to research it.

That wasn't much help but I'm anxious to consider everyone's opinions and possibly make the switch myself!

Thanks for posting this!

Original Post by bier:

First of all, LOVE the new photos. She's a doll!

I've considered switching to cloth. It would save us so much money, not to mention the amount of diapers we contribute to the garbage! I'm interested to hear what the responses are.

Are you partially doing cloth? My only hold up is my grandmother (who watches my son) may have a hard time with cloth diapering because of her arthritic hands and less-than-perfect vision. Sometimes John's diapers leak because she didn't get his butt centered on the diaper!

Okay, I'm done hijacking your thread now! When I was most recently pregnant, I looked into the G Diapers. The hybrids, if you will. I liked the fact that the liners were flushable (or able to go in the compost, which we don't do). and the prints on the covers were super cute. I'm such a noob when it comes to cloth diapering that I was super confused by all the "traditional" methods and didn't really look into them. I still get overwhelmed when I try to research it.

That wasn't much help but I'm anxious to consider everyone's opinions and possibly make the switch myself!

Thanks for posting this!

 Thank you!!

I also looked into gDiapers and what held me back was the cost of the inserts. We haven't started cloth yet, a friend is giving me some gently used diapers in all styles... I know she said pockets and all in ones. When we settle on what works best for Pearl we'll stock up on more, she's really helping me out, it seems like the start up for cloth can be pricey!

I used cloth with all three of my kids (now 19, 16, and 10!).  I was a stay-at-home mom with the two older ones and the youngest was allergic to all disposables, except for Huggies!  She was allergic to baby wipes too so we used baby wash cloths on her butt!  I preferred just plain old cloth diapers, with plain old plastic pants over the top.  True, they are not as form fitting as the newer versions, but they are much less expensive to get started with.  I'm assuming you will wash them yourself, not a diaper service?  I just threw the diapers in when I washed towels and they came out great!  Used bleach when they got stained (and trust me, they will!).  Cloth diapers a much more economical in the long run and much more enviromentally friendly!  Good luck!

I'm not entirely sure what kinds I'll be getting yet, my friend just told me she is sending me a few different kinds to get me started. I'm assuming there will be AIO, pockets, etc.

I will be washing them myself, no diaper service comes this far (20 minutes) out of the city. Thankfully I have a washer and dryer in my apartment otherwise cloth would be impossible I think! :)

It sounds like the AIO, while convenient, may be a lot more work than pockets. At least to me who has had ZERO experience with cloth diapers. Having to wash the entire diaper EVERY TIME it's used seems a bit much. I would imagine that using a pocket diaper would mean you don't necessarily have to wash the outer part every diaper change.

Regarding washing, everything I ready suggests using washing soda in a cold, pre-wash cycle and again with detergent in a warm, actual wash cycle. Vinegar supposedly doesn't take all the smell out. I also read that they should be line-dried if possible because it extends the life of the diaper. I'm sure you probably already researched that, though!

After a Google search of "diaper service" and my city, I found a local doula who lets you come to her house and check out the different types of cloth diapers to help decide which is best for you. Maybe there's someone similar near you...

I'm using the bum genius 3.0.  I've used them since my baby was 2 weeks old (about 7.5lbs) and have been using them for 2 months now.  I really love them.  They are easy to use and save so much money.  I think we have 22 diapers so the initial investment is a lot but I do a load of diapers (just one cycle with hot water and a little detergent) about every other day and they should last until she is out of diapers.  They really are one size fits all.  They are bulkier than disposable diapers but it doesn't seem to get in her way. They use velcro which is really easy but I am a little concerned that it will wear out but so far so good.  I think Fuzzi Bunz are very similar but they use snaps instead of velcro.  We also have the Bum Genius diaper sprayer that attaches to the toilet and it us used to spray off the dirty diapers before washing.  This makes is so easy. 

My amazing friend gifted me with 2 premium sized prefolds, 4 newborn prefolds (using as doublers or laying under her butt during diaper changes, haha), 5 fitteds, a snappi, an AIO, 3 covers, 2 pockets, 3 inserts, and 4 hemp doublers. I have been washing them with a free and clear detergent and some baking soda in warm wash and thankfully the weather has been nice enough to dry outside!

So far the pockets are my favorite so I'll be getting more when funds allow.

with my 1st I received a diaper service as a gift for babes first year

Both my husband and I loved it.  Very easy to use and we didint have to wash the diapers.

We chose not to use cloth for next 2 babies as we did find disposable easier. 

yay for you using cloth:)  i used cloth with both of mine on and off and we loved it, in spite of our hard water.  we used fuzzibunz, various wahm aios/ai2s, but our favorite combo was goodmamas and wool (i'm a knitter, so yeah, lol).

i loved the cost savings and sustainability with cloth.  it just can't be beat, really.

I would recommend getting one or two of a couple different things and see what works. 

We started CDing my older daughter when she was about a year old.  At that age we found pockets to work best for us.  I think you may find the same at 5 months.  We also tried a few fitteds and some covers as well as a couple prefolds.  She was just too squirmy for pre-folds and fitteds. 

As far as brands it depends on the baby unfortunately.  I have a fuzzi-bunz that works but the fit is far from ideal on my daughter.  I LOVE the fit of my Pocket Change diapers but I am sad to say I'm not terribly impressed with the quality.  We also have a Bumware diaper, a Haute Pocket one size and a GAD diaper.  They all fit a bit different.

One option is to watch Craigslist and see if you can find some used ones in your area that would allow you to try one or two for a decent price. 

I hope you find something you like!  We just started cloth diapering my new daughter (she's a week old) and I am so glad to be back in cloth!  It honestly makes me happy which I know sounds kind of silly since at the end of the day they are still diapers.

diaperswappers is a great place to buy used diapers too.  there's great forum activity there as well, if you can wade through some of the drama.

Bum Genius 3.0 definitely, definitely.  We've used them since our son was around 3 months and I love them!  We started with the prefolds and covers when he was tiny, but bumgenius really work well after the baby is over 10 pounds in terms of fit.  Our boy is 18 months now, and the diapers still are holding up beautifully and are super easy to care for.  We have 18 diapers, and wash them every 2-3 days (you have to wash each load twice).  In terms of cost, initially yes, you will pay a bit but come on, with paper diapers, you're spending roughly $10 or more per week, so these diapers paid for themselves within just a few months.  Good luck!  The website cottonbabies.com was very helpful :)

I used cloth for my girls.  The only time we used disposable was when we went out.  I spent $40 for flannel and made my own.  I might have spent $100 for both my girls in disposables.
What my girls spent on disposibles I called a waste of money.  $40 for four years worth of diapers compared to $40 a month for diapers times six babies. 
Call me cheap, but I had better things to do with my money.

I used cloth for all three, now aged 22, 20 and 17. In those days, modern tailored cloth diapers were a very new concept and there were not as many different kinds as now, nor were they as well designed as they are today.

I tried a few of them, but in the end I stuck with plain flannel rectangles. I got creative in folding them and they were just as effective as tailored cloth diapers—and much cheaper—and adjustable to every size from newborn to toddler, so I didn't have to invest in different sizes.

I also made a set of cheesecloth diaper liners. They made clean-ups (scraping the stuff off the diaper) easier, as well as adding an extra layer of absorbency without bulk. I recommend this!

I made a huge number (many dozens) of small flannel wipes, and never had to buy another moist towelette.

Considering how many loads of laundry I had to do anyway for a family of 3... 4... 5, the diaper laundry only added about 2—3 loads a week, which is not much in comparison with the total laundry volume.

After going through quite a lot of cheap plastic panties, I found it was worthwhile investing in better-quality ones. They cost several times as much as the cheapies, but they didn't crack and rip, and lasted until the end of potty training.

I, too, used just the basic cloth diapers from Walmart, diaper pins, and plastic pants.  I tried the premolded fancy kind, but they leaked for me.  I had a diaper pail in the bathroom with water in it and put the dialper in there after I took it off the baby.  If there was poo, I rinsed the diaper in the toilet first.

I washed diapers about twice a week, putting them in the washer with hot water and bleach and letting them soak for a few hours first, then washing them.  I didn't find it to be any trouble really.  We used disposable at night because they held more liquid and didn't leak.

The diapers lasted through three boys now ages 17, 13, 11.  The 17 year old uses his old diapers when washing his car.  Nothing polishes like a soft, cloth diaper and talk about recycling.

I use Bum Genius 3.0 for my kids too!  I used disposables for my first but when #2 came along, I went for the cloth to save some $$.  I love them!  I've also tried Sweet Peas and Happy Heiny's, but BUm Genius are my fave.  I use the all in ones and have used the same diapers on my 3 month old as I have on my 2 1/2 year old.  You just snap them differently.  It's nice not using disposables and the washing isn't a big deal.  I have 25 diapers in total and my oldest son only wears them now at nap and bedtime.  I wash every second day and hang them to try overnight.  I put the inserts in the dryer.  I haven't noticed an increase in my water bill, so if that was a concern for you, don't worry.   

Best advice I got was try a few different types and then decide before you invest.  Some companies even have a loaner program that lets you borrow for 2 weeks for $20 so you can try them out. 

Good luck!